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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rest — a break
  4. key — in music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. face — to confront
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — ground
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ground — crushed
  15. land — a country
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pit — in a race
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com